ALMOST one month after striking municipal workers at Mtubatuba first ‘downed tools’, chaos erupted on Thursday evening when the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) and National Freedom Party (NFP) joined forces against Cllr Robert Ntuli, the town’s mayor.
This new IFP-NFP alliance flies in the face of a Memorandum of Understanding forged between the ANC and NFP, set to last until 2016.
In a special council meeting on Thursday, IFP and NFP representatives attempted to enforce the first item on the meeting’s agenda – a motion of no confidence in mayor Ntuli – and remove him from the post.
Item number two, Ntuli’s requested investigation into the municipality and the Municipal Manager, was not touched.
Furthermore, the MM’s hopes of an Exco meeting following Thursday’s special council meeting were dashed when the lights were turned off.
And chaos erupted as the Speaker collapsed and the IFP mayoral candidate attempted to swear himself in.
With the Municipal Manager, as well as half of the executive council plus many other councilors out of the building, the new mayoral candidate, as far as Ntuli is concerned, was not democratically elected and therefore the appointment does not stand.
‘I will continue to consider myself mayor until officially told otherwise,’ Ntuli said in a telephone interview on Friday.
Ntuli has been in contact with both the regional and provincial branches of the ANC and has been assured both the Regional and Provincial Secretaries are preparing for meetings to resolve the matter.
Until then, Ntuli has been advised to stay away from the municipality.
‘I wasn’t born to be mayor so I don’t mind stepping down,’ said Ntuli who was appointed Mtuba mayor in May 2013.
‘I don’t regret getting the investigation ball rolling and I’m glad I’m ruffling some feathers,’ he said, referring to his request for an investigation to expose corruption within the municipality.
Every time when its comes to politic we always go in this way and change it again. Mr mayor shouldn”t be worried because it will always be in dat way while he is on the chair. We will blame each other till the end that won”t stop.
That is the game chief, as long as the Mayor understands it, he will be able to play…play safe mr Mayor!!